Saturday, January 18, 2020

Recruitment and Selection Strategies Essay

Summary: The recruitment and selection strategies that a company chooses are vital to the success of a business. Recruitment and selection strategies just thrown together are likely to fail. This is why a new business, such as Landslide Limousine must define the necessary criteria for recruitment and selection processes that will support its employee selections. This criterion will include hiring an adequate and qualified staff, a commitment to fair employment practices, and pre-employment standards to include background and reference checks. To determine the criteria for these requirements, the company’s organizational goals, the forecasted demographic changes, analyze workforce needs, workforce diversity objectives, organizational branding, and the methods needed for recruiting, screening, and selecting the proper candidates will be looked at. By assessing these areas we will be able to provide Landslide Limousine effective strategies for the recruitment and selection of personnel to provide a high quality and reliable service to its customers. We will also need to take into account that Landslide Limousine is a new company moving into Austin, Texas, and will need to follow local, state, and federal laws for the area in the employment processes. Organizational Goals Mr. Stonefield has set a goal for his company Landslide Limousine to be the  best limo service in Austin, Texas. He plans on hiring up to 25 employees within the first year with only a 10% turnover rate. He does expect to have a net annual revenue of -$50,000 for the first year, but an annual expected revenue growth of -5% for future years. To meet these goals there needs to be the right employees in place that will â€Å"buy in† to the company. These employees will understand the vision that Mr. Stonefield wishes for his company and want to help him reach it. Forecasted Demographic Changes Landslide Limousine is expecting to have a high turnover rate the first year. To keep the business going successfully it is necessary for the individuals hired to help out in other areas when needed. For this to be accomplished, the applicants need to be qualified in a variety of areas. The company will also need to think ahead and hire individuals who might be bilingual because of the proximity of Austin, Texas, to the Mexico border. An applicant who is not bilingual should not be dissuaded from applying, it would just be an added benefit for the company. Analysis of Workforce Needs Landslide Limousine will employ up to 25 people within the first year these employees will include customer service representatives, dispatchers, drivers, HR assistants, and managers. Customer service representatives will handle the calls from customers and potential customers. They will be the frontline to the business and must have high customer service qualities. Dispatchers will convey information that the customer service representative gathers to the drivers about where and when to pick up and drop off clients. Drivers will drive the customers to their locations in an efficient professional manner. HR assistants will help the manager in making sure that the company is following the applicable local, state, and federal employment laws and help handle any HR related issues with the employees. A manager will oversee the rest of the employees and ensure that the company is maintaining its perspective on the company’s goals and objectives. Workforce Diversity Objectives Landslide Limousine’s success will depend on its ability to hire qualified  candidates from a diverse pool of applicants. For this reason the hiring individual must be familiar with equal employment opportunity laws, fair employment practices related to the recruiting and hiring processes, and employment eligibility that allow an individual to work in the United States. The last is especially important with Austin, Texas, close to the Mexico border the immigration laws must be strictly adhered to (â€Å"Do your applicants,† n.d.). This will ensure that the employees have the proper credentials necessary for employment in the United States. Organizational Branding Mr. Stonefield wants his company to be the best there is in Austin, Texas. To do this he must ensure that his goals and visions for the company meet the needs of his consumers. He will also need to ensure that the employees hired are a good fit for the company and the image that he wishes to portray. In this type of industry, the contact made with the customer is a big influence on how he or she perceives the company. If there is a choice between attitude and skills, the individual with the correct attitude toward customer service should win out every time. Work skills are something that can be taught with training, customer service skills have to do with the attitude that an individual has and how he or she can handle situations with customers effectively. Methods for Recruiting Candidates This will be a key component in an effective recruitment and selection process. The methods for recruiting candidates will be from several sources. We cannot use internal sources at this time because the company is just starting up in the Austin, Texas, area. This is something that will be considered for future job openings in the company. For the initial job openings the sources will be external, and the areas to consider are newspaper advertisements, state employment services, job fairs, and using word of mouth. These methods will bring in applicants who may have the experience needed for the line of work the company is looking to fill. Another area to consider would be online job-related sites such as carreerbuilder.com and monster.com. Networking through professional organizations and keeping an eye out for changes among the competition as  also very useful. The company must know exactly what type of applicant they are looking for before advertising the positions and accepting resumes (Richason IV, n.d.). One last area to consider would be a temp service agency that specializes in providing other companies employees who will work for them on a temporary basis. These employees are hired by the temp service agency to meet the requirements requested by the company. By hiring through a temp agency, the screening and selecting of candidates is completed by them. Employees hired by this type of agency do have the opportunity to be hired as a permanent employee of the company. Methods for Screening Candidates The company needs to ensure the individual doing the hiring is knowledgeable in equal employment opportunity laws and affirmative action provisions pertaining to the position. This is the first opportunity in the recruitment and selection processes that an employer can express his or her commitment to equal opportunity. This is a critical part of any effective recruitment and selection process. When screening applicants for a position the reviewer must look for suitable qualifications. These are the experience of the applicant, his or her credentials, educational requirements for the position, and the presentation of his or her qualifications. A quick review of applications and resumes can help a company identify qualified applicants by looking for key words. Interview Methods Once the applicants have been narrowed down, the individual doing the hiring can conduct preliminary phone interviews. These phone interviews or screening interviews will describe to the applicant in more detail the job position and requirements, assess the applicants communication skills, review his or her work history, and to determine if he or she is interested in a face-to-face interview. The face-to-face interview is the most common interview method, which involves the applicant and the interviewer meeting face-to-face in an office. These interviews can be behavioral, situational, structured, and  unstructured or a combination thereof. A behavioral interview will typically ask an applicant to explain his or her work experience, skills, and activities as examples of his or her past behavior. A situational interview will ask questions about hypothetical events. The applicant is asked how he or she would react in a particular situation. A structured interview has a standard set of questions that are asked of every applicant. An unstructured interview adapts the questions based on the applicant’s intelligence, understanding and answers. It is recommended that these different types of face-to-face interviews be melded into one for Landslide Limousine. The interviewer should have some structured questions to ask of all applicants, unstructured questions based on the interviewees understanding and answers. Behavioral and situational questions will ask the interviewee questions based on his or her past behavior and questions based on hypothetical events. Testing Procedures There are several types of tests that can be administered. Cognitive tests will test reasoning, memory, math skills, reading comprehension, and knowledge of a job or function. Personality and integrity tests will determine if an individual has certain traits or dispositions and will predict if the individual will engage in certain types of conduct. Medical examinations are required by the Department of Transportation to carry a commercial drivers license (CDL) and in Austin, Texas, a CDL is required to drive a limousine. Drug testing required for every employee before and during employment. Also criminal background checks are recommended because of the nature of business the company does. These tests should be administered without regard to color, race, sex, national origin, age, religion, or disability (â€Å"Employment tests and,† 2010). Before giving a test for pre-employment there are a few things that need to established to ensure that the test is legally defensible. These things are to make sure that the right tests are given and that the company has certified the tests validity and reliability. A valid test must measure the criteria needed for predicting job performances. It also must be reliable, which means that the test must measure an item consistently or that an individual’s score should be close to the same every time it is  taken. Because employment testing can be challenged in court, the company needs to make sure that the tests do not violate any local, state, or federal Equal Employment Opportunity Laws, including Title VII (Quast, 2011). There are several laws that need to be considered when administering these tests. They are the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA), the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), and the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII). The use of these tests and applicant selection procedures are prohibited if they are discriminatory. Avoid questions of a personal nature or ones that may be considered offensive. Also the company should not just rely on these test results to choose the right candidate for the position (â€Å"Employment tests and,† 2010). Interview Process Considerations Interviews are scheduled when the hiring individual has free uninterrupted time. This allows them the opportunity to review the resume and conduct an informational interview with the applicant. Refrain from focusing on his or her credentials or experience. The interviewer needs to present hypothetical scenarios to the applicant and ask how he or she would evaluate and solve the problem. Listen to his or her responses without interrupting and make notes on the key points of the conversation (Richason IV, n.d.). Methods for Selecting Candidates The methods used for selecting the right candidates for the positions will be varied, depending on the position applied for. The interviews and tests will be a consideration for positions needing filled. The notes taken during the interview process will be compared to the applicants resume to see if anything was missed. The selections will be based on how competently he or she answered the questions and the questions that were asked by him or her during the interview. The limousine driver position needs a valid commercial driver’s license for the state of Texas, and is a requirement for working in the Austin, Texas, area. Applicants who do not ask questions are either uninterested in working for the company or shy and therefore might not be a good fit for the company (Richason IV, n.d.). Conclusion The recommendations that have been made will ensure the continued success of the company. The company’s organizational goals, forecasted demographic changes, workforce needs and diversity objectives, organizational branding, and the methods needed for recruiting, screening, and selecting candidates have been considered in the development of this plan. The recruitment and selection process must adhere to local, state, and federal laws to ensure compliance and avoid legal issues. By following these recommendations Landslide Limousine will hire an adequate and qualified staff while ensuring a commitment to fair employment practices and pre-employment standards. References Do your applicants have the right to work in the u.s.?. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.firstchoiceresearch.com/docs/I-9 Employment Eligibility.pdf Quast, L. (2011, September 13). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/lisaquast/2011/09/13/pre-employment-testing-a-helpful-way-for-companies-to-screen-applicants/2/ Richason IV, O. E. (n.d.). Methods of recruitmant and selection. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/methods-recruitment-selection-2532.html The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, (2010). Employment tests and selection procedures. Retrieved from website: http://www.eeoc.gov/policy/docs/factemployment_procedures.html

Friday, January 10, 2020

Cici’s Pizza Research Paper Essay

Introduction â€Å"Hi, welcome to CiCi’s! † This is the warm greeting that every CiCi’s employee will welcome every customer with when they walk through the door. This warm welcome is just one of the many things that CiCi’s does to exceed the customer service expectations that come with a buffet style restaurant. With competition lurking, and the economy pinching, great customer service has become a premium. This is why CiCi’s focuses so much on the customer’s wants and needs. The mission statement is as follows: Do â€Å"Whatever it Takes† to exceed each guest’s expectations. Background CiCi’s Enterprise is an American style buffet restaurant chain based in Coppell, Texas. There are approximately 600 franchised and corporately owned restaurants in 35 states. The company was founded in 1985 in Plano, Texas by Joe Croce and Mike Cole. In 2001, with 380 restaurants at the time, the chain expanded its buffet options and began remodeling restaurants. Four years later, CiCi’s had more than 500 locations, and was the fastest growing pizzeria in the United States. In 2003 Croce retired from the business, and passed ownership of the company to Craig Moore, a general manager in Dallas. Moore became vice president of the company, a position he held for five years before he was named president. As president of the chain, Moore oversaw the company’s operations and franchise growth, eventually announcing his retirement in 2009, after 17 years with the company. Michael Shumsky took over after Moore retired in late 2009. He had previously served as CEO of La Madeleine Restaurant, Inc. In addition to its current 600 restaurants, in 2010 CiCi’s announced plans to add another 500 restaurants in the next 10 years. CiCi’s has won numerous awards and has also been named one of the top 25 performing brands by The Wall Street Journal and a top 200 franchise concept by Franchise Today (CiCi’s Pizza, 2011). Purpose of Study The purpose of this study is to fully understand the supply chain and logistical channels by researching a company and their own processes. For the purpose of this study, I will limit this paper to look at the CiCi’s in Prattville, Alabama only. Also I will limit this to follow only pizza products through the logistics channel. Environmental Analysis SWOT The strengths of CiCi’s pizza make it one of the best in the industry. It offers a unique buffet experience with so many pizza varieties. Most of the competition in the industry only offers one style of pizza with one price, but at CiCi’s you can get up to 20 different varieties with one low price. If you don’t want to sit in the family oriented restaurant with the best customer service and eat then you have the option to order take out. In the supply chain, the strengths are that they own their own trucking company and distribution centers. With all these strengths under their name it is no wonder that CiCi’s is the 9th largest pizza chain in the United States. (Pizza Franchise Report 2011, 2011) The owner Michael Shumsky is not satisfied with the title 9th largest pizza chain in the US. The weaknesses of CiCi’s are that they have no delivery services while the other top competitors do. Also, because the price is so low, there can be a perception of low prices = low quality. The one other thing that is holding CiCi’s back from being in the top five is that there is 15 states in the US that so not have a CiCi’s in them. Simply put, there needs to be more franchises build in order for this company to rise to the top of the list. (JMC Restaurant Distribution INC. , 2011) One common quality of successful franchise owners is that all a weakness shows is that there are opportunities. CiCi’s can offer delivery services in order to make their customer service that much better. Also in order to make the company name and logo as popular as the top companies it needs to expand into the rest of the United States and have at least one restaurant in every state. Last, because CiCi’s is in the top ten of the industry, there are threats that come with that title, because there are many other business that are close behind them that what to take their spot. The Mellow Mushroom is a pizza buffet that is less than a mile from the CiCi’s in Prattville, AL. Mellow Mushroom offers similar services but at a higher price. One advantage that the Mellow Mushroom has is that is looks a little more elegant and upper class. People who are looking for more formal dinner experience would be likely to go to Mellow Mushroom. Another threat for the CiCi’s in Prattville, Al is that it is in a place where there are many food options available. Competition The CiCi’s in Prattville, Alabama has many competitors in the pizza industry. This creates a highly competitive market, which is good for the customer because that means that the customer service will be top notch. The competitors include: Domino’s, Pizza Hut, Hungry Howie’s, Papa John’s, Little Caesar’s, Marco’s, Pasta Pizzeria & Grill, and Mellow Mushroom. All these companies are within a 20 mile radius. In a lucrative market like the pizza one, the more competitors the better the customer service because it is so competitive. Market Analysis The pizza market can be very lucrative, therefore it is very competitive. There are low barriers to entry for this market because there is not a perfect way to make a pizza, so there is a lot of room for different types and different restaurants. CiCi’s has established itself as a top competitor in this market. The pizza segment of the food industry represents 11. 7% of all restaurants and accounts for more than 10% of all foodservice sales (Pizza Franchise Report 2011, 2011). Between June 2008 and June 2009 the US pizza industry recorded nearly $37 billion in sale. According to â€Å"Pizza Power†, PMQ magazine’s (Pizza Marketing Quarterly) Annual Industry Analysis, of the 67,554 pizza stores in the US, 59% are independently owned and control 51% of total pizza sales. Franchises and chains account for 41% of the market and for nearly half the sales. The following pie charts were sourced from PMQ’s 2009 annual industry analysis and depict the breakdown of pizza stores in the US and a breakdown of US pizza sales (Pizza Franchise Report 2011, 2011). CiCi’s pizza is included into the other top chains 15%. The pizza industry experienced a loss of market share and sales during the recession as skyrocketing cheese prices and an increase in the cost of wheat and other pizza essentials drove up the cost of pizza. Customer Analysis Pizza is enjoyed by people from all walks of life and eating out at restaurants is an essential part of the American lifestyle. According to the National Restaurant Association, 45% of adults say that restaurants are still a major part of their lifestyle and that they will continue to frequent their favorite restaurants. According to a survey completed by Mintel, 93% of Americans eat at least one pizza per month and 21% of 18 – 24 year olds purchase pizza more than three times per month. This is compared to only 7% of those aged over 65 eating at least one pizza per month. Pizza also proved popular with parents. About 20% of the parents surveyed said that they purchase pizza more than three times per month, compared to 12% of adults with no children (Pizza Franchise Report 2011, 2011). This customer group covers much of the target market for CiCi’s pizza. Because so many age groups love pizza, there are many target markets for pizza places to target. These customers look for more than just a good tasting pizza now, they look for a place with good deals and even better customer service. Supply Chain Activities CiCi’s, like many other businesses has a busy season. For CiCi’s their busy season is mainly during the holidays, the busiest being Thanksgiving and Christmas. For these special times of the year they need to forecast just how much more products they need in order to keep the customers satisfied. The forecasting is done by looking at the previous year’s sales during that particular time period; in addition, if there is any national media at that time. They take the dollar usage per item and multiply that by the projected sales to give them how much to order of each item; the items being flour, sauce, and pizza toppings (Hassell, 2011). Demand Forecasting cannot be done before there is a proper count of the inventory. Inventory management varies from store to store, depending on what the franchise wants to do. Most stores count inventory every Sunday night or Monday morning. The CiCi’s in Prattville counts inventory on Sunday nights. To manage the inventory they have a food cost program that you enter the ending count; the computer downloads the order and uses the previous count as the beginning. The company as a whole tries to keep food cost percentages at 28% or lower, with labor cost of 18. 5% or lower (Hassell, 2011). Once the forecasting is done, then it is time to place the order. CiCi’s uses an online order management system called ESOS (Exhibition & Sponsorship Ordering System). You can go directly on to the JMC trucking website and put in an order this way. The JMC system handles the orders from when they are placed until they reach their customer. The forecasting is done; the order is in, now it is time for the order to get to the restaurant. This is where CiCi’s takes a big leap from its competition, because of its transportation system. CiCi’s has become such a powerful force in the pizza industry partly because of attention to detail in the transportation channel. They own their own transportation service. JMC restaurant distribution Inc. is a full service distribution company founded by Joe Croce in 1990, after he found out that other distributors were not able to keep pace with his vision of great service, low prices and â€Å"whatever it takes† attitude. Today JMC serves over 600 restaurants in 35 states out of three distribution centers strategically located in Dallas, TX, Atlanta, GA and Richmond, IN. The opening of a fourth center is in the making in Arizona. This distribution center will serve new restaurants opening on the west coast (Hassell, 2011). JMC has a well maintained fleet of over 70 power units with 48†² or 52†² refrigerated trailers (some with lift gates), run consistent routes each week to CiCi’s restaurants, and return to our Dallas, Atlanta and Richmond, Indiana bases carrying freight for ourselves and others under JMC authority. JMC brings the same dedication to great prices and great service to its freight customers as it does to its restaurant customers. To date, JMC has served over 1500 freight customers handling a wide array of dry, refrigerated and frozen products throughout the United States (JMC Restaurant Distribution INC. , 2011). Just as important as the forward movement of goods, is the reverse movement. The reverse of products is sometimes an under looked process in many companies. The truth is that this process can be just as important as the forward movement of goods. CiCi’s does have a reverse process for damaged or broken products. For example, if a bag of flour that comes off the truck has a hole in it or it is leaking, there is a chance that it is contaminated so they throw the bag away. To compensate for the loss of the bag the receiving store will get one free bag of flour they next week when the truck comes in (Hassell, 2011). When the delivery truck comes to CiCi’s, carrying this week’s supply, it is the driver’s responsibility to unload the truck. The employees at the restaurant do not help with unloading. It takes about 45 minutes to completely get all the products off the truck and into the store (Hassell, 2011). Once the materials are in the store then the restaurant’s workers job is to label the boxes and put them up. The labeling and packaging of the boxes is not that importance in the CiCi’s supply chain, because the customer of the restaurant does not see what the bags of flour look like or how the pepperoni is packaged. What is important in the packaging is that the packages be able to withstand certain temperatures and weights because most of the trucks are refrigerated and carry lots of other products. Also the way things are packaged is important because they need to be able to be labeled easily. Damaged packages will be directed right back to the JMC in the reverse process. With the forward and reverse of all these products, transportation can get pretty expensive. The facility locations are very important because of this. CiCi’s has a total of three distribution facilities that are strategically placed. The biggest of the three facilities is the one in Dallas, TX. This facility covers all the states shaded in red in the picture below. Second largest facility is the one in Atlanta, GA. This one covers the states shaded in yellow. (JMC Restaurant Distribution INC. , 2011) That is where the CiCi’s in Prattville Alabama gets all of its products. Last, the states shaded in blue are handled by the facility in Richmond, IN. All the facility locations were made with the main roads, possible traffic, and distance in mind. Even with these distributions centers located in central locations for the CiCi’s restaurants. The procurement process does not have influence on the locations, because the raw materials come from all over, they receive bids on their products and JMC makes the decision based upon the quality of that product and the other ones. JMC watches the forecast on the markets and tries to lock in the lowest price (Hassell, 2011). As stated previously, the pizza industry is extremely competitive, and with his competitive market, customer service is a premium. â€Å"Hi, welcome to CiCi’s! † is the phrase that every employee must memorize and say to every customer that comes into the restaurant. Customer service is a component that this company really focuses on. On the website they have a list of guest promises that they stand by. They are as follows: to do â€Å"whatever it takes† to exceed your expectations, to say â€Å"Hi, welcome to CiCi’s, to guarantee you a full-hot-fresh buffet, and to use our names to make you favorite pizza, to serve you in a fun, sparkling clean restaurant, and to say â€Å"goodbye, come back and see us (CiCi’s Pizza). The pizza industry is so competitive that the best way to get new customers and keep the loyal customers is to have the best customer service around. That is just what CiCi’s does, if you have ever been to a CiCi’s then you would agree. Recommendations Pizza is very much part of the American way of life, with Americans eating approximately 100 acres of pizza each day, or 350 slices per second. Although the pizza industry experienced a decrease in sales during the recession, the beginning of 2011 has seen an increase in sales. The development and implementation of new technology and marketing strategies has enabled the pizza industry to adapt to growing consumer demands for cheap, fast, and convenient products. CiCi’s has done a good job establishing itself as a top competitor in this market. In order for CiCi’s to compete with the top pizza franchises in the market, such as Pizza Hut, they need to get more creative. CiCi’s needs to increase their marketing budget, this would create more awareness to their target customers and increase sales. CiCi’s need to become a household name and in order to do that there needs to be more franchises. Currently CiCi’s only has restaurants in 37 states. If they were to expand into all 50 states and increase their marketing then I believe the CiCi’s would be the best pizza franchise in the United States. Conclusion After all, the â€Å"do whatever it takes to exceed the guest’s expectations† is a great mission statement that CiCi’s defiantly goes by. This great company has expanded from one restaurant in Plano, Texas to over 600 in 35 states in 25 years. That is a great accomplishment, and they are not done yet. With a plan to build more restaurants in the future, you can expect to see CiCi’s at the top of the pizza industry very soon. The supply chain management is one of the best in the industry because they own part of their supply chain. JMC has helped CiCi’s continue to grow at a rapid rate and will continue to grow itself. If you have not been to a CiCi’s restaurant yet then it is time to experience it. References CiCi’s Pizza. (2011, November 7). Retrieved November 30, 2011, from wikipedia. com: http://en. wikipedia.org/wiki/CiCi’s_Pizza JMC Restaurant Distribution INC. (2011). Retrieved November 8, 2011, from cicistrucking. com: http://cicistrucking. com/about_jmc. html Pizza Franchise Report 2011. (2011). Retrieved November 24, 2011, from Franchisedirect. com: http://www. franchisedirect. com/foodfranchises/pizzafranchises/pizzafranchiseindustryreport20111/80/292#Ref1 CiCi’s Pizza. (n. d. ). Retrieved November 26, 2011, from Welcome to CiCi’s Pizza: http://www. cicispizza. com/_template. php#Scene_1 Hassell, M. (2011, November 12). Regional Manager. (J. Montgomery, Interviewer).

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Analysis Of John Fowles s The Magus - 1739 Words

A written piece of literature means nothings without the reader. If a story is never read or interpreted by someone, then it means nothing at all. Only when a piece of literature is read and given a response does it mean anything. The role of the reader is essential to the meaning of a text, for only in the reading experience does the literary work come alive. Furthermore, each reader can interpret a text differently and is affected by outside influences. These influences can effect major areas of the text and in some cases give it a different meaning. In John Fowles s The Magus, the reader s response to the authors story telling can differ by their social class, reaction to the main character, and gender. These key differences can give the story a whole new meaning and why the reader s response to literature is so important. In The Magus, the reader social class can change their outlook on the story. The Magus follows the main character Nicolas Urfe, a young middle class Englishman . Nicholas, being from the middle class, receives more than the lower class and less upper class social groups. He may had received a different education, experienced a different sort of living, and overall may have a different way of interacting with the world. For example, he was able to attend Oxford university in England which is a very costly and prestigious university to attend. For the reader that is of a lower class, Nicolas becomes a less relatable character. Throughout history

Tuesday, December 24, 2019

The Importance Of Roman Clothing In Ancient Roman

Clothing in ancient Rome was so important to the Romans that they specially trained slaves to assist them in putting on their clothes (Roman Dress 3). Not only was it time-consuming and difficult to put on their style of clothing, but the clothes were also often heavy and uncomfortable (McManus 3). In spite of the clothing being troublesome, it was incredibly useful; with one glance, you could see every Roman’s wealth, rank, and personality. Roman clothing was important because it helped others differentiate between the classes as well as showcase people’s personal style. Simply the fabric that Romans clothes were made of could tell you their economic status. Everyone wore a basic tunic, a loose, sleeveless, knee-length sheath,†¦show more content†¦(Roman Dress 7). Commoners wore the cheaper colors included yellow, red, green, and blue (Colors of Roman Clothing 2-4). These dyes were all from various natural sources (Colors of Roman Clothing 1). Wealthier people wore indigo and crimson, which were expensive (Colors of Roman Clothing 3). Indigo had to be imported from India, and crimson was derived from insects (Colors of Roman Clothing 3). Very light colors were also an honor to wear. Some politicians would even go as far as using white chalk on their togas in order to stand out (Roman Dress 4). With all these specifics, a Roman could easily tell how much money someone had based just on the color or type of fabric they were wearing. Another way that clothes allowed Romans to distinguish between rank was which garments that a person wore. Poor women usually only wore one piece of clothing: a tunic (Lewis 1). However, a tunic was considered an undergarment for wealthy women (Lewis 2). The women that could afford more clothes wore a stola over their tunics (Lewis 2). Stolas were flouncy dresses held together at the shoulders by golden rings called fibulae (Lewis 2). Stolas could also be embroidered with nature-inspired images like fruit, leaves, and flowers (Lewis 4). If a woman was extremely wealthy, she wore a palla over her stola (Roman Dress 7). A palla was much like a shawl. If a woman wore a palla, it was considered a privilege andShow MoreRelatedRoman Military Essay1595 Words   |  7 PagesTHE ROMAN MILITARY No powerful civilization has ever excised without a well-organized military. The Republic of Rome and Imperial Rome would have no been so influential to civilizations across the globe without a powerful military. Imperial Rome conquered vast lands from Britain to North Africa, from Egypt to Judea with their military which consisted of well discipline soldiers from their generals to the simple foot soldiers. This military was not an armed mob with clubs and spear; theyRead MoreFuneral Of The Roman Empire991 Words   |  4 PagesFunerals in Ancient Rome were as they are in most modern cultures, important. 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The second is anRead MoreEssay Roman and Spartan Warriors1265 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction Ancient Greece, Sparta especially, and Ancient Rome were best known for their military tactics and strategies. In the Greek city-state Sparta, military went as far as making every male citizen a hoplite, warriors of Ancient Greece, and go through a mandatory training program, agoge, or put through public humiliation (Park and Love). It is impossible to say that both Rome and Sparta neglected the idea of implementing warfare into their daily lives. Ancient Sparta was the headRead MoreThe Renaissance in Europe1418 Words   |  6 PagesEurope between the 1400s and 1600s. During the era known as the Renaissance, Europe underwent a cultural movement in which people regained interest in the ancient cultures of Greece and Rome. A renewed interest in philosophy and human individuality lead to the development of more worldly and nonreligious focuses. Europe sought knowledge from the ancient world and moved out of the Dark Ages. There was an explosion in art, literature, and architecture. New techniques and styles developed and older, forgottenRead MoreSlavery in Roman Republic2798 Words   |  12 PagesDuring the Roman Republic, Ancient Rome was at its very beginnings and a civilization was just being created. Like any other civilization there were different levels of status between classes and several positions of power in which people could obtain. Subsequently, just as there were people of power and wealth, there were al so people of little to no power and poverty. The Ancient Romans utilized the institution of slavery to help promote their civilization and became a major factor in the economyRead MoreThe Romanticism Of The 19th Century1289 Words   |  6 Pagesduring the late 18th century and stressed the importance of individuality and emotions. With the advent of this revolutionary style of painting, it would later provide a basis for future works of art. Romanticism occurred as a response to the societal norms of the century and the Enlightenment, a previous intellectual movement. The characteristics typical of Romanticism consists of landscapes, freedom, and beauty. John Martin s Ruins of an Ancient City, completed around 1810-1820, depicts desolate

Monday, December 16, 2019

Multimodal Essay Topics Help!

Multimodal Essay Topics Help! Combining of unique modes of transportation to produce multimodal transport method results in combining weaknesses of various procedures of transportation, resulting in the growth in the complication of the system that may prove difficult to address. In summary, the idea of multimodal transportation elicits numerous setbacks. For example, sea transportation is preferred for products like fuel products from various continents. Multimodal transportation contributes to a monopoly of the transport market. Trust is something which folks will need to earn since if you're not careful, people that you feel you trust can prove to be not so trustworthy. One reason that children are read fairy tales is as it can teach them lessons about life early on so they can implement them in their lives whenever possible so they can grow up having basic human interaction abilities. People today utilize technology to safeguard themselves from being interactive with ot hers or to just occupy themselves in a situation that is not so intriguing. Most people don't know their learning style. How to Get Started with Multimodal Essay Topics? The essay is going to be written in third individual. Your essay must incorporate a minimum of two images, though it can incorporate more. It will be posted to your section's blog, and a link to it will be submitted to T-Square. You must understand completely that you're not writing a descriptive essay. Mentioning them in your text is inadequate, and therefore you need to elaborate on them. For instance, if you take a look at hers, she breaks this up into sections with headings and includes some images on occasion, too. A read more link will reveal the remainder of the essay. When you've made the second read of the text it's time to locate which is the topic of the text. Sound effects are extremely effective. These four sensory modalities are utilized to establish a person's learning style. Multimodal composition demands attention to rhetorical fundamentals of communication. 2 2 In conclusion, I believe the communications through internet is connected to speech whether it is logical or not. Society appears to have made a huge effect on the significance of a first impression. It is essential that students are conscious of their learning style preference and knowing the ideal approach to study to attain their whole learning potential. Some students overlook this important procedure, and they wind up getting low grades, and therefore don't repeat their mistake. How to Get Started with Multimodal Essay Topics? Make the usage of the suggested research paper topic ideas and you'll be prosperous. In the event the indistinct issues continue to be at large, it is wise to leave this topic be and simply choose another one. When selecting your research paper topic, you have to make certain it is neither boring nor worn out. The entire research should be constructed around or from this issue. Students could be asked to create a transcript on their blog and think about the way other transcripts of blogs are made. If you like science, you're guaranteed to talk non-stop about it. You have to write a minumum of one research paper in a semester for nearly all the subjects. Writing a research paper even though may appear challenging is a considerable portion of normal student life. Rather than using scholarly sources to support the major point, the author uses examples. The objective of the essay is to sway these individuals throughout the use of examples. The coming of the exemplification essay should present the issue. We have made it to the point in our research and writing process that you're ready to start drafting your essay. The questionnaire contains 16 questions with numerous response choices. Individuals who took the survey questions are simple to relate to, as they are based on real-life situations (Rogers, 2009). The answer is most likely never! A description of the last assignment and the rubric used to assess it is going to be on the program site. Begin with retracing each one of your steps because you must remind readers your topic and arguments. VARK analysis tool is able to help you discover the response to that question. To find out more about this assignment, have a look at the lesson plan below. Whispered Multimodal Essay Topics Secrets For that reason, it's imperative to understand how to write a great text analysis as it will be able to help you get much better grades. When you learn to use layout and design to create the words stick out on a page, by way of example, you're learning multimodal composing strategies. This author is the usage of distinct combinations of modes Vark be effective once the learning materials.

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Intercultural Business Communication

Question: Discuss about the Intercultural Business Communication. Answer: Introduction Intercultural business communication is a form of organizational communication, where organizations share information across different social groups and different culture. This study will describe the cultural differences of Japan with Australia and New Zealand. Moreover, the study will provide effective communication method for a Japanese businessperson, who is coming out to manage the Australian and New Zealand branch office of his organization. Various intercultural models will also be described in this study. Discussion Hofstede Model defines the cultural differences among different countries. This model can best be used for identifying the differing culture between Australia and Japan. While considering Power Distance Index, Japan has high power index. Social hierarchy is established in the country and less powerful people except the unequal power distribution. On the other hand, Australia has low power index. The country has less social classification and people question about the authority and power distribution. In case of Individualism vs. collectivism, the people in the society or organization of Japan tend to stay together harmoniously. This tendency is also equal in Australia. People in the society and organization of Australia are extremely helping to each other. While considering uncertainty avoidance index, Japan has high index in this context. People in the society or organization of Japan believe in strict code of behavior, laws and guidelines. On the other hand, Australia has lox index in this context and People in the society and organization of Australia are more likely to accept differentiating ideas and thoughts and have fewer regulations. In the context of masculinity vs. femininity, Japan prefers masculine society and women are less likely to get priority. On the other hand, Australia prefers feminine society and women are given equal priority like men. In case of long-term orientation vs. short-term orientation, Japan has low degree in this index and people are restricted within their tradition. On the contrary, Australia has high degree in this context and people believe in views of adaption. They prefer to be circumstantial. While considering indulgence vs. restraint, the people in Japan believe in restrained society and believe that other factors dictate their emotions and life. On the other hand, the people in Australia believe in indulgence society and believe in enjoying life by controlling their own emotions and life. The above model highlights the differences between Japan and Australia. Based on those differences, followings communicative ways will be provided for the Japanese Businessperson in dealing with Australia. The businessperson of Japan should be highly concentrated on the work rather than making reliable relationship with the business partners of Australia. The people of Australia believe more in statistical facts than long relationship (Crossman and Noma 2013). Moreover, the businessperson should always use facts and statistics while discussing any project running in Australia. From the models discussed above, it has been found that Australians believe in simple words in conversation. Therefore, the Japanese businessperson should avoid any metaphor in the conversation while making conversation with the Australians in and outside of the workplace (Yoshida, Yashiro and Suzuki 2013). Too much self-promotional message is highly restricted in Australia. This approach can assumed to be misconstrued as bargaining and demonstrate negative response (Martin and Nakayama 2015). Therefore, the businessperson from Japan should avoid too much self-promotional message while making contract with Australian business partners. Australians like humor in their conversation, as they are outward. Humors seem to be persuasive in all business situation as well as public life of Australia. Therefore, the Japanese businessperson should be open in conversation and use humors in the speech both in and outside of the workplace (Daly et al. 2015). Employees should also be provided with higher value in their workplace. Hofstede model can also be used for indentifying the cultural differences between Japan and New Zealand. In case of power distance index, Japan has high power index. Less powerful people in society and organizations of Japan are likely to accept unequal power distribution. This index is low in New Zealand. Social stratification is there in New Zealand, but people tend to question unequal power distribution. Collectivism Index can be found in Japan and harmonious society and organizational cultural is reflected in Japan. Likewise, New Zealand has also collectivism index. They are helping and friendly to each other but they are not over-friendly. While considering uncertainty avoidance index, Japan has high index and businesspersons as well as normal people tend to rely on strict code of behavior, rules and regulations. On the contrary, New Zealand has low index in this context and they are more open to new set of ideas. Japan has Masculine society and people have high level of heroism and less consideration for women power (Mao and Hale 2015). On the other hand, New Zealand has feminine society and female participation in the work is increasing at greater rate. In case of long-term orientation vs. short-term orientation, Japan has low index and people are highly traditional, whereas, the people of New Zealand have high degree and they are highly circumstantial (Hua and Kramsch 2016). Japanese are restraint and other factors control their emotions and feelings, whereas, the people of New Zealand are indulgence and they have strict control on their own feelings and emotions. The above cultural model demonstrates the differences between Japan and New Zealand. Based on the differences following business communication can be adopted for mixing with people both in and outside of workplace in New Zealand. The people in New Zealand are friendly but they are not over-friendly. Mostly, they remain reserved at the initial stage of conversation with unknown people (Martin and Nakayama 2015). Therefore, the businessperson of Japan should take time in communication and be highly polite in mixing with the New Zealand Culture. Japan is not likely to distribute power to women. However, this practice is not accepted in New Zealand culture. In New Zealand culture, the businessperson of Japan should employ women at the top position of his office. It would demonstrate high value for the culture of New Zealand, which will enhance organizational reputation. The businessperson should take team approach in his New Zealand branch. The people in New Zealand are more comfortable with teamwork (Chvez 2013). Therefore, the initiation of team approach will keep the employees highly communicative with each other. The people in New Zealand are highly focused statistical data for relying on ant fact, which is unknown. They are highly serious on their work and want same loyalty from the person they are dealing with (Mao and Hale 2015). Therefore, the businessperson should demonstrate high level of seriousness and confidence in communicative with the people of New Zealand. Conclusion While concluding the study, it can be said that Australian are highly reliant on statistical data for believing in any business matter. The Japanese businessperson should highly concentrate on work than on making relationship. Moreover, Australians fever simple words in their communication. Therefore, the Japanese businesspersons should avoid any metaphor while communicating with the people in and outside of the workplace in Australia. On the other hand, the Japanese businessperson should be highly polite and take time to communicate with the people in New Zealand. Moreover, the businessperson should use team approach for the branch in New Zealand. Reference List Chvez, K.R., 2013. Pushing boundaries: Queer intercultural communication.Journal of International and Intercultural Communication,6(2), pp.83-95. Crossman, J. and Noma, H., 2013. Sunao as character: Its implications for trust and intercultural communication within subsidiaries of Japanese multinationals in Australia.Journal of business ethics,113(3), pp.543-555. Daly, A., Hoy, S., Hughes, M., Islam, J. and Mak, A.S., 2015. Using group work to develop intercultural skills in the accounting curriculum in Australia.Accounting Education,24(1), pp.27-40. Hua, Z. and Kramsch, C., 2016. Symbolic power and conversational inequality in intercultural communication: An Introduction.Applied Linguistics Review,7(4), pp.375-383. Mao, Y. and Hale, C.L., 2015. Relating Intercultural Communication Sensitivity to Conflict Management Styles, Technology Use, and Organizational Communication Satisfaction in Multinational Organizations in China.Journal of Intercultural Communication Research,44(2), pp.132-150. Martin, J.N. and Nakayama, T.K., 2015. Reconsidering intercultural (communication) competence in the workplace: A dialectical approach.Language and Intercultural Communication,15(1), pp.13-28. Martin, J.N. and Nakayama, T.K., 2015. Reconsidering intercultural (communication) competence in the workplace: A dialectical approach.Language and Intercultural Communication,15(1), pp.13-28. Yoshida, T., Yashiro, K. and Suzuki, Y., 2013. Intercultural communication skills: What Japanese businesses today need.International Journal of Intercultural Relations,37(1), pp.72-85.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Smackey Dog Foods free essay sample

Introduction Smackey Dog Foods, Inc. is a small, private company which specializes in manufacturing and selling natural dog foods. Their new boutique division, Best Boy Gourmet has grown significantly due to recent product demand. The company started small and is operated by sisters Sarah, Kim, and Jillian. Sarah serves as the President and General Manager. Kim is the Production Operation Manager overseeing the inventory, production, and shipment of the dog food with the help of her assistant, Henry. Jillian is in charge of Sales with a team of 12 salesmen in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. The business is based out of their hometown of Chicago. In an attempt to expand the business, Sarah has applied for a loan of $150,000 with a local bank. Currently, Smackey Dog Food Inc. We will write a custom essay sample on Smackey Dog Foods or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page already has an outstanding loan of $150,000 which is secured by the production equipment that was purchased with the money from the loan. Smackey Dog Food Inc. ’s goal is to secure a second loan that would be secured by the company’s corporate accounts receivable. The bank is requiring a set of audited financial statements before issuing the second loan. Therefore, Smackey Dog Food Inc has contacted my firm, Keller CPAs, to perform the audit. My firm had no prior experience with auditing dog food manufacturers, but we decided to venture out and accept the audit at the end of the year. Assigned to the lead the audit are Pete, Ben and Maureen. Pete is a very experienced auditor that I have worked with on several audits. Ben and Maureen were assigned field auditors to assist myself and Pete. Ben has been with my firm for one year with no prior auditing experience to Keller CPAs. Maureen has 5 years prior experience as an auditor before joining our team. We at Keller CPA have researched and benchmarked the industry to qualify a knowledgeable opinion of our new client, Smackey Dog Food Inc. Discussion Smackey Dog Foods, Inc. is a privately owned company and is not subject to SEC regulations. However, their accounting standards and financial statements must be in conformity with GAAP. During the first stage of the audit, I did research on the dog food industry to better familiarize myself with the risks currently associated with this industry, such as current economic conditions and how they have affected this industry, competition, and the audit procedures that are usually involved in the audit of this type of business. I also developed and presented an engagement letter to Smackey outlining my firm’s fees, the time-line for the audit, and the assistance that will be needed from the staff of Smackey during the audit, and other services that will be performed. Once all the lose ends were tied up with the client, we started performing preliminary analytical procedures which helped us better plan and design the audit and assess risks involving fraud, control, inherent, business and acceptable audit risks. During this process, the following key issues were identified: The Sales Manager, Jillian, is not very familiar with accounting and has started estimating sales in order to get her teams’ sales commissions to them in a more timely manner. These projections are normally off by an average of 11%. The new product line, Best Boy Gourmet, has a short 3 day consumption deadline and, therefore, has a high waste volume. A former employee has a pending lawsuit against the company for wrongful firing. Smackey Dog Food’s largest customer is facing a lawsuit and possible store closures in order to fund the legal fees. They are also unable to pay their invoices within the usual 30 days and Smackey’s accounts receivable are increasing in age. 9% of the company’s accounts receivables are over 61 days old and none have been written off or evaluated for collectibility. There is no formal inventory control system in place and one person, Henry, has full access to the inventory with no checks and balances in place to prevent waste and/or theft. With these issues identified, I knew which areas to focus on while performing tests of controls, substantive tests of transactions, analytical procedures, and test of details of balances. While making observations during field work, Ben and Maureen actually saw an employee take previously thrown away dog food out of a dumpster and place it in Henry’s vehicle. I knew from this incident, that Smackey Dog Foods, Inc had a major weakness in their internal controls with inventory and possibly an outright problem with theft. My team was present at the physical inventory count to help ensure the accuracy of the count and we performed various analytical procedures on he inventory such as comparing the gross margin percentage, the inventory turnover, and unit costs of inventory with those of the previous years. We also ensured that all expired/obsolete inventories was disposed of and not counted as we were aware of an issue that Smackey was having with the handling of returned inventory. In order to confirm the accounts receivable balances, I decided to use positive confirmations since this was my first time auditing the company and the collateral for the loan would be the receivables. The confirmations helped to verify the accuracy and existence of the accounts. I also calculated the Receivables Turnover Ratio in order to better evaluate the overall success of collection on accounts. The sample size that I chose was determined by the factors of tolerable misstatement, inherent risk, control risk, achieved detection risk from other procedures, and the type of confirmation used, negative confirmations require more confirmations. Since such a big emphasis needed to be placed on the Account Receivables and since there was an inherent risk present with the going concern of the major customer, I used a fairly large sample size to conduct my testing. Regarding the pending lawsuit from a former employee, I did research to determine if the employee had a legitimate case by reviewing other lawsuits involving similar circumstances. It is of my opinion that the lawsuit will be unsuccessful, but have disclosed this information in the footnotes of the financial statements. After completing all analytical tests, observing, and making inquiries of the employees of the company, we completed our final report and included all material weaknesses in internal control that may have affected the accuracy of the financial statements. Some recommendations that we made to management were to: Install a warehousing inventory system that will help limit the company’s exposure to waste and theft. Establish a JIT (just-in time) ordering system for raw materials for the Best Boy Gourmet line so that waste will be reduced. Segregate the duties of Henry, the warehouse manager†¦one person should not be in control of both the physical inventory and the accounting for the inventory. Establish criteria for determining a valuation account for A/R and for writing off accounts with an Allowance for Uncollectible Debt. Sales commissions should only be paid when earned and should be based on actual sales figures. Management could further their expertise by enrolling in business, accounting and supervising seminars. Shift duties between the partners so that sales staff are managed by a more hands-on manner and are better monitored for performance. Conclusion In conclusion, it is of the opinion of Keller CPAs that Smackey Dog Foods, Inc. does not have adequate internal controls in place and material misstatements were found in the financial statements due to these internal weaknesses. We do not suspect fraud by management, but have discussed with management the possibility of theft by a certain employee. My firm realizes the responsibility it has to ensure that the bank has accurate financial information when deciding to approve or not approve the second loan to our client. We have taken all steps necessary to identify any misstatements. I have been made aware of some relationships with my staff and employees of the client, but assure that independence was maintained throughout the audit process. We do feel that Smackey Dog Foods, Inc. is a successful company and has great potential if they will implement the changes my firm has suggested. Reference Auditing and Assurance Services: An Integrated Approach, 13th Edition, by Arens, Elder and Beasley.